The present invention relates to a single dose pill dispensing system that meets Federal Government standards for child proof access, specifically 16 CFR 1700.15(b) and 1700.20. That is, to prevent children from opening a pill bottle/vial, a pharmacy must now use only bottles or vials that require adult effort to open. This is mandatory unless the user requests that the pharmacy not incorporate the child-proof container. One leading pharmacy uses a standard sized bottle, about 2¾″ in height and 1⅛″ diameter, that includes a reversibly threaded cap, with a flexible annular tab in proximity to the bottle opening, where in a protective mode, an internally threaded cap is threaded to the bottle opening. To open the closed bottle, the flexible annular tab must be depressed to free the cap and allow the user to open the bottle. However, the cap is also externally threaded on its top, and when reversed may be conventionally threaded to internal threads at the bottle opening. This allows the pharmacy to satisfy all users with the same bottle, namely reversibly securing the cap as requested by the user.
The prior art and known commercial pill dispensing systems recognize the need to protect small children, as well as satisfying adults who do not need to exert the extra effort to open the container, especially for senior adults with arthritic hands. Additionally, though not often addressed, seniors like pill dispensing systems that allow for the convenient withdrawal of a single dose at one time. Different pill dispensing systems of the prior art may be found in the following U.S. patents:
a.) U.S. Pat. No. 6,267,265, to Issa, teaches a pill dispenser to dispense a pill received from a pill container engaged there below. The pill dispenser comprises a cavity, said cavity having an exposed end and shaped to form a conical surface therein. The conical shape of the dispenser cavity, advantageously, allows pills to be engaged therein and dispensed therefrom, one at a time, regardless of the shape and size of the pills. Optionally, the pill dispenser is disposed within a cap or closure member, mountable to common containers available at most retail outlets. Further optionally, the pill dispenser is disposed within the container itself.
b.) U.S. Pat. No. 5,897,025, to Flewit et al., discloses a container for dispensing tablets in which the dispensing opening and/or a dispensing passage upstream of the dispensing opening is constricted such that a tablet is releasably retained with part of the tablet projecting outside of the dispensing opening. The part of the rim of the dispensing opening or an adjacent part of the container is movable relative to the rest of the container so as to facilitate the release of the retained tablet from the container.
c.) U.S. Pat. No. 5,791,515, to Khan et al., relates to a one-at-a-time pill container and dispenser having a mechanism which allows for use of the device with existing containers. A child-proof lock is provided. The device has a mechanism for ensuring that only a single pill is brought into the dispensing chamber as a consequence of a partial rotation of the cap with respect to the bottle body, a reverse partial rotation of the cap then allows the pill to fall by gravity into the user's hand. The two-directional rotation to cause pill dispensing is easy for an adult but highly unlikely to be accidentally duplicated by a child. The mechanism is a series of wedge shaped chambers, sized for the capsule to be dispensed, with a covering flange over the dispensing chamber, to ensure that only a single capsule enters the dispensing aperture. The chambers are caused to be rotated by the mating engagement of the cap, via a pawl, with a segment shaped slot in the top of the dispensing mechanism.
d.) U.S. Pat. No. 4,887,738, to Jennings et al., covers an article dispenser especially advantageous for dispensing pills of the prescription drug or over-the-counter type, comprises three components including a container member, a dispenser control member and a flexible member. The container member provides a dispenser portion through which the articles are passed in a serial array whereby one article reaches an exit aperture while the remaining articles are restrained at gate apertures within the dispenser portion by the flexible member and the control member. The dispenser components are preferable made of low-cost molded plastic and when assembled provide an easy access dispenser not requiring two hands for activation.
Though the prior art offers a number of interesting, even complex, solutions to providing assistance to prescription users that may want to protect children or even make it convenient to safely use a prescription container, they fail to teach an insert that may be used with existing bottles/vials. Specifically, none offer the convenience of the present invention to incorporate an insert into a conventional pill bottle to limit the dispensing of a single pill or dose. The manner by which this invention achieves the goals hereof will be made clearer in the description which follows, especially when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.